Suspicious package by Main Street Plaza draws out bomb squad

ST. GEORGE – A segment of Main Street was shut down Thursday evening as the Washington County Bomb Squad responded to the report of a suspicious package left on the sidewalk of the Main Street Plaza building.

St. George Police and the Washington County Bomb Squad responded to the report of a suspicious package by the Main Street Plaza. The package ultimately turned out to be a box full of documentation according to the bomb squad, St. George, Utah, Aug. 18, 2016 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

The St. George Police Department received the call shortly after 6 p.m. and went to investigate the situation. They found a box that at the time appeared unmarked and had unknown contents.

As a precaution the police initially blocked the northbound lane on Main Street between Tabernacle Street and St. George Boulevard. The southbound lane was also blocked off soon after when the bomb squad arrived.

The bomb squad sent a bomb technician clad in a bomb suit to inspect the package with an x-ray device.

“(We) x-rayed the package and determined it was documentation that was delivered to a business here on Main Street,” St. George Police officer and bomb technician Gage Schimbeck said. “Found out there was no threat and everything was good to go.”

St. George Police and the Washington County Bomb Squad responded to the report of a suspicious package by the Main Street Plaza. The package ultimately turned out to be a box full of documentation, according to the bomb squad, St. George, Utah, Aug. 18, 2016 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

While it may seem odd for the bomb squad to be called out on a “suspicious package” that turns out to be nothing threatening, Schimbeck said the police would rather be mobilized over something ultimately non-threatening than otherwise.

“You never know what’s inside a package until we do our business as far as bomb techs go,” Schimbeck said, adding that the bomb squad has the means to determine what is a potential explosive and what is not.

Many times suspicious packages can turn out to be harmless and inane, such as when a case of eight-track tapes was mistaken for a possible bomb in August 2013.

As the incident unfolded, traffic was simply detoured around the block. Most of the businesses in the area were already closed for the day or closing down.

Not much in the way of an evacuation of the area needed to be done because of the incident, St. George Police Sgt. Curtis Spragg said.

No one was harmed during the incident which was wrapped up by 8:30 p.m.

Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery.

St. George Police are blocking traffic from entering a section of Main Street after a suspicious package was left outside a building, Aug. 18, 2016 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

A suspicious package left on the sidewalk on Main Street near the Main Street Plaza in St. George, Aug. 18, 2016 | Photo courtesy Chris Baron, St. George News

Police are investigating a suspicious package left on the sidewalk near the local FBI office in St. George, Aug. 18, 2016 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

Police are investigating a suspicious package left on the sidewalk near the local FBI office in St. George, Aug. 18, 2016 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

A suspicious package left on the sidewalk on Main Street near the Main Street Plaza in St. George, Aug. 18, 2016 | Photo courtesy Chris Baron, St. George News

A suspicious package left on the sidewalk on Main Street near the Main Street Plaza in St. George, Aug. 18, 2016 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

St. George Police the the Washington County Bomb Squad responded to the report of a suspicious package by the Main Street Plaza. The package ultimately turned out to be a box full of documentation according to the bomb squad, St. George, Utah, Aug. 18, 2016 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

St. George Police the the Washington County Bomb Squad responded to the report of a suspicious package by the Main Street Plaza. The package ultimately turned out to be a box full of documentation according to the bomb squad, St. George, Utah, Aug. 18, 2016 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

St. George Police the the Washington County Bomb Squad responded to the report of a suspicious package by the Main Street Plaza. The package ultimately turned out to be a box full of documentation according to the bomb squad, St. George, Utah, Aug. 18, 2016 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

St. George Police the the Washington County Bomb Squad responded to the report of a suspicious package by the Main Street Plaza. The package ultimately turned out to be a box full of documentation according to the bomb squad, St. George, Utah, Aug. 18, 2016 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

St. George Police the the Washington County Bomb Squad responded to the report of a suspicious package by the Main Street Plaza. The package ultimately turned out to be a box full of documentation according to the bomb squad, St. George, Utah, Aug. 18, 2016 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

St. George Police the the Washington County Bomb Squad responded to the report of a suspicious package by the Main Street Plaza. The package ultimately turned out to be a box full of documentation according to the bomb squad, St. George, Utah, Aug. 18, 2016 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

St. George Police the the Washington County Bomb Squad responded to the report of a suspicious package by the Main Street Plaza. The package ultimately turned out to be a box full of documentation according to the bomb squad, St. George, Utah, Aug. 18, 2016 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

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About the Author

Mori Kessler serves as a Senior Reporter for St. George News, having previously contributed as a writer and Interim Editor in 2011-12, and an assistant editor from 2012 to mid-2014. He began writing news as a freelancer in 2009 for Today in Dixie, and joined the writing staff of St. George News in mid-2010. He is also a shameless nerd and has a bad sense of direction, often telling people go left while he is pointing right. Numbers greater than five also confuse him.

I know you’re angry because you are misguided and have no purpose and all you have in your pathetic life is to troll me. .. you have my sympathy and prayers the way of the Lord is your salvation. Be well my fellow brethren and may the good lord above watch over you. .

Remember my dear friend we are all created in God’s image. so hopefully somewhere in life you will find a purpose and a meaningful reason to exist and hopefully you will act accordingly. ..God Bless you and your loved ones

The St George Police department absolutely has the finest standards and they are a great group of professional people doing a difficult job. but they get lucky like any other law enforcement agency and come up with an unexpected turn of events.